The Department of Children's Services Central Intake call center, shown in October 2012, is where child abuse phone calls come in to the state, prompting investigations into abuse or neglect. / Shelley Mays / File / The Tennessean

Written by

The Tennessean

DCS Commissioner Kate O'Day: "What it tells me is people are really interested in this work and they have a lot of resources to offer us." / George Walker IV / File / The Tennessean

More

ADVERTISEMENT

Dozens of experts who counsel, teach and rehabilitate at-risk families aired concerns about the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services on Tuesday and asked the department to be more responsive and collaborative when protecting children.

And this time, the message went straight to the top of the department. An uncommon meeting at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville brought DCS Commissioner Kate O’Day and three of her highest-ranking officials together in one place.

It was the second such meeting at the center to improve relationships between nonprofits and government, said Lewis Lavine, the center’s president.

“The agencies are good at forging relationships, and what you heard today, I think, was they want some help in forging those relationships,” he said.

The critiques O’Day heard Tuesday came from yet another direction for a department already feeling the heat.

Lawmakers, including two who want O’Day replaced, have called for an investigation into the department. Child advocates have questioned whether DCS is protecting children and following policies. And the agency faces two court battles over its stance on child death records that officials refuse to release. The agency has said state and federal confidentiality laws prevent DCS from making the information public.

The meeting coincided with O’Day’s two-year anniversary leading the department, which is tasked with investigating child abuse, overseeing the foster care system and running juvenile delinquency centers.

“We’re delighted to have the feedback,” O’Day said after the meeting. “What it tells me is people are really interested in this work and they have a lot of resources to offer us. … We are at work every day, 24/7, responding to reports and looking for how we can improve this work.”

“They change kind of regularly and there is some notice,” she said, asking for “more of a heads up when those policies are going to change, when they affect how we do business.”

Pitching services

Some participants just wanted to let DCS know what they’ve been doing.

For example, Anthony Hall, a family involvement specialist with Metro Nashville schools, told the DCS leaders about the district’s new approach to helping teens who come out of juvenile detention centers. He just asked that DCS caseworkers keep the schools in mind.

“If they can just touch base with us, and we can put those supports around, we can know to nurture that student and work with the family,” Hall said. “So when things do come up, it won’t be one of those situations where we just expel the student.”

O’Day told the group that the department’s latest strategic plan ranks strengthening partnerships as a top priority.

She also spoke of the ongoing effort to flip the department’s culture “upside down,” to focus more on what front-line caseworkers need to do better work with families.

“This is nothing less than a total change for this organization,” she said.